ANAHEIM, Diane Singer: Former police officer Christopher Dorner snapped [“A search for Dorner and answers,” Front Page, Feb. 10]. It can happen to anyone. It can happen to good people from good families. I am saddened by his actions but even more disappointed in our lack of sophistication about mental illness. My heart goes out to him and his family.

His behavior is symptomatic of severe mental illness. Cancer has its symptoms. Diabetes has symptoms. This is a sick guy who is out of his mind. It is tragic. It is so very sad. And what about the people who love him? How horrible for them.

Let’s have compassion and address the bigger issue of what we do as a society about the severely mentally ill. We can no longer tolerate leaving our mentally ill to the police. It’s not their job. Nor can we risk the lives of others just because we are ignoring a horrible disease.

Mental illness needs treatment and those afflicted need our support and empathy. We cannot tolerate a system that says the sick must hurt themselves or be a danger to others before we can take action. There has to be a way to treat the sick and protect the public before dangerous situations develop.

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MISSION VIEJO, John Richardson: Whenever a notorious and diabolical murder occurs, the media is quick to describe the perpetrator with terms such as: off balance, psycho or “over the edge.” So, now Christopher Dorner already has a basis for an insanity plea if he ever is brought to justice. But, isn’t it possible that he may be perfectly sane, but totally angry? Why give any person accused of crimes such as this a media-created background for an insanity defense? Our justice system is based on the principle of innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Shouldn’t one also be considered sane until proven insane in a court of law?

In the past few days the public has been made very much aware of Dorner’s size, appearance and background. So, now thousands of eyes are on alert for him. At this point it would seem well for the media to quit feeding his ego with big headlines, and let the police agencies do their work.

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YORBA LINDA, Herbert Trumpoldt: The Fourth Estate has covered Christopher Dorner’s manifesto in detail and given it importance. In it he says, “I am a victim,” which is the typical narcissistic, center-of-the-universe thoughts of a self-styled victim.

Where are the questions like: What was the family situation, including the father and mother? Who taught Dorner his value systems? Were there disciplinary problems in elementary, middle and high school? What parent appeared with him in the school on those occasions? What was his scholastic performance and what family support was there to help him if he had problems?

There is more to his life than those years in the Navy and the Los Angeles Police Department. Tell us about them.

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IRVINE, M. Chieffo: Why hasn’t the media covered the Benghazi or the Fast and Furious debacles in depth and in as detailed a manner as the Christopher Dorner manhunt?

The LAPD misfire

LA HABRA, Heath Robinson: In a shameful case of mistaken identity “trained professionals” of the Los Angeles Police Department fired more than 50 rounds at a vehicle with two aging, unarmed and unsuspecting female newspaper carriers in it and failed to kill either one [“Police seeking Dorner open fire on two vehicles,” News, Feb. 8].

While this is a good thing for these victims and their assailants, it serves as stark testimony to the fallacy that a 10-round limit for civilian magazines is sufficient against a violent and determined attack.

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